Madras Crocodile Bank turns 50: How does this reptilian zoo run?
The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust celebrates its 50th anniversary as a pioneering institution for reptile conservation in India. Founded by Zai and Rom Whitaker, the facility has grown into a significant research and educational center for endangered species.
Why it matters
The institution represents a successful model for wildlife conservation and public education in a rapidly urbanizing region.
Zai Whitaker distinctly remembers Madras Crocodile Bank Trust ’s (MCBT) first-ever gharial.
As incredulous as it sounds, it arrived in a box.
The small zoo dedicated to reptiles on what was once a desolate East Coast Road in Tamil Nadu had been up and running since 1976 when among the rarest crocodilians on Earth, made its way to Chennai from somewhere in Central/ North India. A pen was dug up in the late 1980s with some water to accommodate this river guardian that was most critically endangered because human activities had destroyed its freshwater river habitat. Down South was certainly one way to go.
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